ABC disclosed a list of some of the advertisers who have bought ad time during its upcoming Academy Awards broadcast, which is sold out.
After the Super Bowl, the Oscars are one of the most watched events on television, particularly for female viewers. Like the Super Bowl, some advertisers on the Oscars launch original ad campaigns in order to engage with the large audience.
This year's advertisers include American Express, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Hyundai, JCPenney, Kraft, McDonald's, Met Life, Paramount Pictures, Samsung, Sprint, Stella, Travelocity and Walt Disney Studios. Other sponsors were not disclosed.
Last week, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that ABC sold all of the spots allocated during the Oscar broadcast by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and that more advertisers had expressed interest.
According to Kantar Media, in 2011, 30-second Oscar ads cost an average of $1.55 million and the broadcast generated total of $74.4 million. Kantar estimates that spots sold for $1.7 million this year.
Hyundai, Penney and Coca-Cola were the biggest advertisers in last year's broadcast, according to Kantar. McDonald's has advertised on the Oscars since 1992 and American Express since 1993.
"Big-scale, high visibility television events continue to draw large audiences and the Academy Awards comes just a few weeks after the most widely watched Super Bowl in history," Jon Swallen, senior VP of research at Kantar Media North America.
On Sunday, the Grammy Awards attracted 39.9 million viewers, the second highest in its history, as the death of singer Whitney Houston, a multiple Grammy winner, stirred interest.
"While coverage is still centered around the network TV broadcast, digital platforms and online content are offering additional ways to target brand messages at an engaged audience of Oscar enthusiasts," Swallen said.
The 84th annual Oscars will air on ABC Feb. 26, hosted by Billy Crystal.
